Modularized Loudspeaker System Exterior Aesthetic

ABSTRACT

A loudspeaker design and methodology is disclosed that provides for the customization of a loudspeaker&#39;s exterior aesthetic that allows for ongoing and potentially endless graphic and artwork applications including those that can be customer defined. High definition graphics and other artwork are incorporated into panels that are made of various solid/semi-solid/non acoustically transparent material whose artwork and/or design aesthetic can be customer defined for each individual loudspeaker. The panels either separately or combined can have their own unique size, shape and artistic image/aesthetic. The panels are designed such that they require no frames and directly attach to the peripheral (sides, front/back, top, etc) of the enclosure while not covering the vibrating membranes/speaker drivers which would otherwise interfere with and compromise sound propagation and sound quality. The invention also includes methods for attaching the panels to the exterior of the loudspeaker cabinet which are designed to be quickly and easily detached/attached. 
     
       
         
               
             
                   
               
                 REFERENCES CITED 
               
                   
               
                   
               
               
               
               
               
             
                   
                 3696885 
                 October, 1972 
                 Grieg, et al. 
               
                   
                 4926962 
                 May, 1990 
                 Graham et al. 
               
                   
                 4936410 
                 June, 1990 
                 Howell 
               
                   
                 5717171 
                 February, 1998 
                 Miller et al. 
               
                   
                 5970669 
                 October 1999 
                 Livingston

The present invention relates to aesthetic panels that allows for ongoing and potentially endless graphic and artwork applications including those that can be customer defined.

BACKGROUND

Audio companies both past and present have made offerings/products that allow a customer to select a certain exterior aesthetic/finish. These typically have involved a limited selection of veneers, paint finishes or other industrial coatings that are permanently attached/adhered to the exterior of the product. These selections have not addressed an important need in allowing each individual customer to customize the product to their own personal taste by providing a modular design that allows: 1) The customer to select from an almost endless palette of high definition (HD) graphics, color combinations, or personalized artwork/images, along with unlimited options of various solid/semi solid base materials (metal, plastic, wood, etc.) that can be incorporated into the design aesthetic. And 2) The design aesthetic to be changed within seconds through a modular approach utilizing easily detachable/attachable solid panels that adhere to the exterior of the product in a non-permanent manner.

A decorative cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,254 entitled Decorative Speaker Cover issued to Claybaugh, et al. The cover surrounds the enclosure in all/much of its periphery including the loudspeaker radiating drivers themselves and is made of acoustically transparent material.

A speaker made of sculpted materials is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,962 entitled Decorative Speaker Cover issued to Graham. The color and texture of the speaker cover enable a loudspeaker to blend in the with the surface of a wall or ceiling which with it is attached.

Neither of the above patents noted or any other reference disclose a loudspeaker enclosure aesthetic that does not cover the loudspeaker drivers with a fabric of some form or manner compromising the sound of the loudspeaker. The present invention does not cover any radiating surfaces while mitigating the effects of resonance in the loudspeaker through the addition of another alienating barrier on the outside surface of the loudspeaker. Additionally, the present invention allows for a wide variety of materials in panel form to be utilized in creating the aesthetic which are very easily and quickly attached and detached.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a loudspeaker design and methodology that provides for the customization of a loudspeaker's exterior aesthetic that allows for ongoing and potentially endless graphic and artwork applications including those that can be customer defined. Panels are made of various solid/semi-solid/non acoustically transparent material whose artwork and/or design aesthetic can be customer defined for each individual unit/product. The panels either separately or combined can have their own unique size, shape and artistic image/aesthetic. The panels are designed such that they require no frames and directly attach to the peripheral (sides, front/back, top, etc) of the enclosure while not covering the vibrating membranes/speaker drivers.

The present invention also includes methods for attaching and detaching the panels to the loudspeaker enclosure wherein the panels are modular, incorporating different shapes and sizes, and can be easily removed and changed within seconds.

It is an object of the invention to create a loudspeaker design aesthetic that provides for a wide variety of materials and finishes to be incorporated into a multimedia piece of artwork onto the exterior of the loudspeaker.

It is an object of the invention to make a loudspeaker deign aesthetic that allows for the quick change of the aesthetic through the attaching and detaching of panels to the loudspeaker enclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a larger floor standing loudspeaker system with recessed side cutouts for mounting various artistic panels along with an example of panels with artwork that can be mounted.

FIG. 2 illustrates a smaller bookshelf/portable loudspeaker system with the full front of the enclosure recessed for mounting various artistic panels along with an example of a panel with artwork that is to be mounted.

FIG. 3 presents a closeup view of the larger floor standing loudspeaker exterior showing holes for mounting hardware options including magnets or ferromagnetic materials, in this case screws.

FIG. 4 presents a closeup view of the larger floor standing loudspeaker exterior showing adhesive backed hook and loop fasteners attached to the loudspeaker exterior.

FIG. 5 presents a closeup view of the loudspeaker exterior aesthetic panel showing thin neodymium magnets or thin ferromagnetic disks that are attached with an adhesive.

FIG. 6 presents a closeup view of the loudspeaker exterior aesthetic panel showing adhesive backed hook and loop fasteners attached to the aesthetic panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE OF IMPLEMENTATION

FIG. 1 shows a floor standing loudspeaker system with examples of aesthetic panels in a triangular shape as described in the present invention. A loudspeaker exterior surface (1) is recessed to provide the mounting of the aesthetic panel flush with the exterior surface of the loudspeaker. While not necessary for functionality, the flush mount of the panel adds to the aesthetic of the design. Examples of aesthetic panels 2, 3, 4 in a triangular shape are shown. Practically any shape can be incorporated into the presented invention as intended and multiple panels can be integrated to form a single image as shown in panel 4. Panel artwork and images, if chosen by the customer, can be placed onto a panel utilizing a number of different processes including but not limited to direct to panel printing, sublimation printing, hand painting, etc. Metal panels may be selected by the customer based upon their aesthetic properties and include copper, brass, steel, aluminum, etc. Wood panels may be selected by the customer based upon their aesthetic properties and include any variety of woods either in their natural state or processed to enhanced their surface qualities. Various other materials can come into play as well such as papers, plastics, and composites.

FIG. 2 shows a bookshelf/stand mount/portable loudspeaker system (5) with examples of aesthetic panels (8) in a polygonal shape integral to the loudspeaker exterior surface and a circular/ring shape panel (7) serving as a trim ring surrounding the loudspeaker driver (6) itself as described in the present invention. The loudspeaker exterior surface (5) as described in FIG. 1 is recessed to provide the mounting of the aesthetic panel flush with the exterior surface of the loudspeaker and the surround trim ring surround. While not necessary for functionality, the flush mount of the panel adds to the aesthetic of the design. Panels artwork and images as described in FIG. 1 can be placed onto a panel utilizing a number of different materials and processes as described in the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the floor standing loudspeaker system as described in FIG. 1 with a closeup view showing hole locations for mounting either magnets (10) or ferromagnetic base materials (9), in this case a screw, in a pattern depending upon the shape of the panel to provide adequate support of the panel once attached to the exterior of the loudspeaker system (1), (5). The present invention is designed so that either ferromagnetic materials or magnets can be imbedded into the exterior of the loudspeaker system with a corresponding thin magnet or thin ferromagnetic disk mounted to the aesthetic panels.

FIG. 4 shows the floor standing loudspeaker system as described in FIG. 1 with a closeup view showing locations for surface mounting hook and loop adhesive backed fasteners (11) to the exterior of the loudspeaker system in a pattern depending upon the shape of the panel to provide adequate support of the panel once attached to the exterior of the loudspeaker system (1), (5). The present invention is designed so that either the hook or loop surface can be adhered onto the exterior of the loudspeaker system or to the aesthetic panels.

FIG. 5 shows two views of an aesthetic panel including a front view (13) and a side view (14). The side view portrays multiple thin magnets or thin ferromagnetic disks (15) that are adhered to the aesthetic panel in some pattern depending upon the shape of the panel to provide adequate support of the panel once attached to the exterior of the loudspeaker system (1), (5).

FIG. 6 shows two views of an aesthetic panel including a front view (16) and a side view (17). The side view portrays multiple hook or loop fasteners (15) that are adhered to the aesthetic panel in some pattern depending upon the shape of the panel to provide adequate support of the panel once attached to the exterior of the loudspeaker system (1), (5).

It is understood that every aspect of the present invention has not been described explicitly. therefore, modifications of the invention that are explicitly described are fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims as set forth. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A loudspeaker exterior design that allows for ongoing and potentially endless graphic and artwork capabilities including those that can be customer defined and which comprises: panels that are made of various solid/semi-solid/non acoustically transparent material whose shape and artwork and/or design aesthetic can be customer defined for each individual loudspeaker a means for easily and quickly detaching and attaching the panels to the loudspeaker cabinet.
 2. A loudspeaker exterior design according to claim 1 wherein panels of various shapes are made from thin metals, rigid/semi rigid cloth, plastics, rigid/semi rigid paper, or thin wood veneers.
 3. A loudspeaker exterior design according to claim 1 wherein the means for attaching and detaching the aesthetic panels includes magnets attached either on the exterior of the loudspeaker enclosure or on the panel itself in combination with ferromagnetic based metals or magnets either on the exterior of the loudspeaker or the panel itself, or hook and loop fasteners and other similar fasteners, in all cases whose purpose is to provide for very easily detached and attached panel capability.
 4. A method for the constructing the loudspeaker exterior for mounting the aesthetic panels comprising: recesses machined into the outside surfaces of the enclosure to accept panels of certain thicknesses and shapes holes machined within the recesses of the outside surfaces of the enclosure for mounting magnets and/or ferromagnetic metals or holes machined within the recesses of the outside surfaces to accept screws made of ferromagnetic metals.
 5. A method for constructing loudspeaker exterior design aesthetic panels of various shapes and sizes to be attached to the loudspeaker enclosure including: cutting, shearing, forming, additive manufacturing, among others.
 6. A method for constructing loudspeaker exterior design aesthetic panel graphics and other artwork for a loudspeaker enclosure comprising the steps of: generating a graphic or artwork for the aesthetic panels of various solid/semi-solid/non acoustically transparent material whose shape and artwork and/or design aesthetic can be customer defined for each individual loudspeaker creating original artwork on various materials to be attached to or directly applied to the aesthetic panels creating graphics that are transferred to the aesthetic panels through various printing processes including but not limited to direct to material printing and sublimation transfer creating graphics that are first printed on typically non acoustically transparent materials that are then permanently adhered to an aesthetic panel.
 7. A method for attaching the magnets and ferromagnetic metals to the loudspeaker enclosure and the panels in either combination of magnets or ferromagnetic based metals comprising: an adhesive applied to both the loudspeaker enclosure and panel for mounting magnets and ferromagnetic based metals to both the loudspeaker enclosure and aesthetic panels or the use of screws embedded into the exterior of the loudspeaker enclosure in conjunction with an adhesive applied to mount the magnets to the panels or magnets embedded into the loudspeaker enclosure with an adhesive applied in conjunction with thin ferromagnetic based metals for mounting to the panels or a press fit of a magnet or ferromagnetic based metal into a hole of proper size in the loudspeaker enclosure with an adhesive applied to the corresponding magnet or thin ferromagnetic based metal for mounting to the panels.
 8. A method for attaching hook and loop other similar fasteners to the loudspeaker enclosure and panels the comprising: adhesive based hook and loop segments, each applied to either a panel or the enclosure. 